Re: KJV Bible - Crown Copyright in UK and Commonwealth
I believe section 5 is basically repealing the Imperial Copyright Act 1911.
I think section 8a(2) is saying that you can do anything you want with
Crown works and still not infringe, on the condition that there are no
other copyright holders, e.g. I can copy the KJV, but not government
works under crown copyright, because if there was no crown copyright,
then the government would hold normal copyright instead.
What's the situation in the UK?
Andrew
On 11/10/05, Lionel Elie Mamane <lionel@mamane.lu> wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 09, 2005 at 05:43:33PM +1100, Andrew Donnellan wrote:
>
> > Does the crown copyright on the KJV affect other Commonwealth
> > countries e.g. Australia?
>
> I don't know. If it hasn't been abrogated by the Australian
> legislative body between independence and present, it does. I suppose
> that Australia has passed one or more Copyright Acts since its
> independence, so the answer is in there.
>
> I did a quick Googling:
>
> http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s8a.html
>
> COPYRIGHT ACT 1968 - SECT 8A
> Prerogative rights of the Crown in the nature of copyright
>
> (1)
> Subject to subsection (2), this Act does not affect any
> prerogative right or privilege of the Crown.
>
> (2)
> Where a right or privilege of the Crown by way of copyright
> subsists in a work or published edition of a work, a person does
> not infringe that right or privilege by doing, or authorizing the
> doing of, an act in relation to the work or edition without the
> licence of the Crown if, assuming that that right or privilege of
> the Crown did not subsist in the work or edition, but copyright
> subsisted under this Act in the work or edition and was owned by a
> person other than the Crown, the person would not infringe the
> copyright of that owner in the work or edition by doing, or by
> authorizing the doing of, that act without the licence of the
> owner.
>
> (3)
> Nothing in subsection (2) shall be taken to limit the duration of
> the right or privilege of the Crown by way of copyright in a work
> or published edition of a work.
>
>
> So, it may be that the Crown still holds a copyright on the KJV of the
> Bible, but printing, distributing or making derivative works or
> anything else (except maybe moral rights things?) of the KJV does not
> infringe on the Crown copyright. IANAL, so read yourself and check
> that no other section cancels out that one for the KJV.
>
> In particular, I don't understand
> http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s5.html .
>
>
> --
> Lionel
>
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